Monday, March 18, 2024

Children’s Museum of Atlanta Holds Annual Benefit Gala Supporting the Museum’s Mission

 

The 2024 Imagination Ball, an adults-only charity event aimed at making play-based learning accessible to children from all walks of life, will be held this Saturday, March 23.

Imagination Ball, chaired by Museum board members Andrew Chang and Dr. DeRetta Rhodes, promises an enchanting evening filled with awe, playfulness, and exploration. Taking place at The Eastern in Reynoldstown, the festivities aim to rekindle guests' appreciation for the impact of imagination, fantasy, and storytelling.

Attendees will indulge in passed hors d'oeuvres and cocktails, while enjoying captivating performances and interactive experiences that evoke the pure joy of childhood play. This annual charity event, featuring an exquisite seated dinner and a live auction, lends its support to the Museum's mission of changing the world by igniting the imagination, curiosity, and learning of every child through the magic of play.

Tickets and sponsorships can be purchased at bit.ly/ImaginationBall2024.

Raffle tickets are $100. Event ticket and sponsorship prices vary. Cocktail attire is required.

For more information or to support Children's Museum of Atlanta, visit childrensmuseumatlanta.org or call 404.659.KIDS [5437] 


Saturday, March 16, 2024

Embracing Singleness and God's Calling on Your Life!

 


Y'all.

I just read the best daily devotion on Singleness (is that a word?); it was so good that I want to share most of it here with you.

If you've been following along, you know the Lord allowed my life to change exponentially over five months ago when my partner walked out unexpectedly and without warning.

Through God's grace, amazing people have entered and come alongside my life to help me grow in understanding, wisdom, and healing.

And over the last month, as the Lord and I have dug down deep; worked our way through questions and tears; and taken painful yet necessary steps moving forward, I have begun to wonder if He isn't pulling back the curtain for a new ministry opportunity to appear.

If you are single now - meaning you have been for a while or are newly single - please click the devotion link above to start this plan today.  It is that good.  And please read the excerpts I am sharing below.

This is your path; this is my path.  No matter if you chose it or if it was "gifted" to you like myself, the Lord has allowed it to happen.  It is time to stop focusing on the whys and focus on the wheres.  God is taking you somewhere.  Settle into your seat, buckle up, and enjoy the ride!

Drop me a comment here or on my social media pages to let me know you are okay, settling in, buckling up, and enjoying the ride.

Happy weekend my friends.

"I spent too much time longing for a husband and wishing my days away. It was a lonely and miserable way to live. When I decided to look outside of myself and serve in the church, I found what I’m passionate about: I love connecting with people and encouraging women to root their identity in Christ. Through serving, my life took on new meaning. Suddenly, I was on fire for God in ways I hadn’t experienced before and I found true joy. I still want to find a husband, but it no longer weighs heavily on my heart. My biggest desire is no longer to hear “I do,” but to hear “well done my good and faithful servant.” 

God created each of us to play a special role in His Kingdom, and it’s only when we’re living in our calling that we can truly be fulfilled. We all have unique talents, experiences, and skills that point to our God-given purpose. Some are called to full-time ministry. Others are called to be a light in the corporate world. While the method may look different from person to person, as Christ followers, we’re all called to reach people for Jesus. Our marital status does not change that mission 

In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells His followers to go make disciples and teach them to obey his commandments. He doesn’t say to wait until you’re married and then you can really start your ministry. He just says “go.”  

If you’re not sure exactly how God calls you to serve His Kingdom, ask Him to show you. In the meantime, just start serving somewhere. Don’t believe the lies that you aren’t a valuable part of the church and you can’t make a difference while you’re single. God sees you as chosen, anointed, and equipped—not someday, but right now. Spiritual maturity doesn’t come as a result of a change in relationship status. Spiritual maturity comes as a result of a relationship with Jesus. 

Maybe one day, God will call you into marriage. If that’s what you want, pray for it. It’s not wrong to pray for a spouse, but don't let that desire keep you from growing in your faith now and leading others to do the same. As Proverbs 16:9 says, we can make our plans, but ultimately, God determines our steps. Serve Him with everything you have today, and trust that He will lead you down the right path at the right time.  

Whether we are called to marriage down the line or not, God asks us to step into our calling now. We only get a short time on this earth, and we can’t allow our relationship status to keep us from fulfilling the purpose God has on our livesSo, go!

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Self-Control - Finding Out You Can Possess this Fruit of the Spirit

 


"Father, the power of the Spirit that is in me, which is greater than the spirit that is in this world, I ask that You would daily pour Your power, love, and peace into my life so I may walk in self-control, courage, and with a sound mind. When my thoughts race and my mind defaults to a spirit of fear, may Your perfect love cast out fear so I may stand firm and unwavering and live with conviction in a world of compromise. Amen."

My weekend started out well.

My journey had been getting better each day.  Each day has its own challenges, and every day, it is still a challenge to remove David from my thoughts, placing those memories at the feet of Jesus and asking Him to remove them from my mind along with breaking the chains that keep me attached to them and the family I once built with David.

My Christian Counselor has been simply amazing, my family has been incredible, and above all - the Lord filled my February calendar (the traditional month of love and a month I had so much fear circling around me about) with so much love, I could hardly keep up.

I remember lying down to sleep one week night and hearing the Lord quietly whisper to me, "You may not have anyone for Valentine's Day, but I am filling your entire month with love."  I saw a picture of a calendar in my mind for the month of February, and I could see all the dates and events He had already etched into place.  I felt His peace surround me, and I may have even quietly weeped before falling asleep.

The presence of God is so good.

The last and ninth Fruit of the Spirit is self-control.  We read about it in 2 Tim. 1:7.

As I headed into the weekend a few days ago, two of my facebook pages received an Admin invite from David's gaming page to join the private group associated with that page.  I teetered back and forth mentally with the invites and then accepted both.

It left me confused.  Why would David send me an invite to join a private group of his?  If you have been keeping up with my writings, you know I was completely destroyed by David's leaving five months ago.

The invites seemed odd to me, but I tried not to give them any more thought.

Then came Saturday afternoon.  I wasn't feeling well, so I decided to lay down for a bit and find a movie to watch. I settled on Apple Film's, "Napoleon."

As I watched the relationship develop and grow between Napoleon and Josephine, my mind reflected back onto my relationship with David.

The five years I spent with David were the happiest (inside a relationship, that is) and also the most emotionally intimate years of my adult life.

But as I laid there watching the movie and thinking back over my relationship with David and the two invites that had come the day before, the Lord kept laying on my heart a few of David's last spoken words to me one Sunday afternoon in - of all places - our church parking lot.  Words that shattered me as he spoke:

"I am so much happier without you in my life now."

"You are not a nice person.  You just aren't!"

"I will never forgive you." (After I apologized for what hurt him and then asked him to forgive me.)

"My family is pissed off at you!" (After I asked if could sit down with his parents and sister to talk through any feelings they might have.)

"I don't believe what God gave us was a gift."

I instantly knew accepting those two invitations to David's Facebook page's private group had been a wrong decision.

Now, God was pressing on my thoughts and heart trying to remind me how cruel David had been that day, how unforgiving, and how unmoving.

So, listening to the pressings on my heart, I removed both of my facebook pages from David's private group.

But - and here is where I messed up, veering out on my own, past where God had led - I didn't want David to see the accepted invites and then see me exiting his private group the next day.  I didn't want to be accused of playing games.

So I sent a brief email to David, explaining why I had left the group.  I explained my hurt and how shattered I had been by his last words to me and that I only wished God's best for him in the future.

I never expected a response.

He had never responded to anything sent before, so why should this be any different?

I prayed, "God, I do not need a response, so please do not let one come."  But I also prayed that my words would have effect on David's heart, that it might finally become softened and pliable, growing tender and sensitive toward the Holy Spirit.

That he might finally understand the power of words and that accepting as well as granting forgiveness is something God wants for us.  It frees us from the pain we carry. We do it for ourselves, not the other party or anyone else.

Late Saturday night, while out with friends, a response arrived in my Inbox.  Inside his short e-mail, David mentioned having health issues.

My family and friends told me not to reply, but inside, I really wanted to extend God's love and the power of prayer over David.

I struggled through the night, crafting out words carefully that a reply could contain - but with no pressing from God, I knew I'd be on my own, and that was a place I did not want to be. I continued to pray as I tossed and turned all night.

Finally, when morning broke, I started the coffee and grabbed my books.  Sitting at the kitchen counter, I opened up my first devotional.  It read:

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.—2 Timothy 1:7 

And there it was.

Good morning Holy Spirit.  Thank you for reminding me and confirming to me I made the right choice - to exercise self-control.

Like a ton of bricks, this lesson on the ninth Fruit of the Spirit - self-control hit home hard: "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."

Praise God, I had exercised power and love and, most importantly, self-control the night before. 💜 What a gift and sigh of relief to receive this confirmation through Scripture the next morning.

And how fitting that God would save today to begin my lessons on self-control.  So like Jesus!

Remember this - when we have nothing else, we will still always have Jesus. He never leaves our sides.

I am so glad I took the advice of my family and friends.  I am so glad I asked Jesus for help and guidance and then listened for Him to answer me on whether I should send a reply to David's email or not.

God had been silently telling me, "No," all night. All I had to do was listen.

I bowed my head, wept silently through prayers for myself, for David's health, and for my boys.

I asked God to always grant me the ability to exercise self-control when He demands it and to help me produce this last Fruit of the Spirit without an inner fight (not an easy task; I know I will need His help)!  And then, I began writing.

I know this post is long, but it was cathartic for me. I needed to exhale and write down my experience and feelings.

These writings will always be here to remind me what to do when flesh starts to outweigh Spirit.

God is faithful to us always and to where we are at any specific moment in time.

I am thankful He showed up this morning at the precise moment I needed Him. 

Today, I learned I can produce at least one Fruit of the Spirit - self-control!

"Thank you Jesus.  I love you.  Thank you for your sacrifice of love and for my personal gift of salvation.  I pray you will always guide me, especially in matters of the heart where I am still struggling today.

I ask for release from any remaining 'chains' inside my heart tied to David.  My heart hurts still.  The memories linger still.  I miss the presence, the love, and the companionship.  I miss the life we built and the foundation we were building for the future.

I feel like such a failure at times!

His words were extremely cruel at the end, and He became a person I didn't recognize.

I have done as you asked - I have asked both You and him for forgiveness for my part in any hurt I may have given out along the way.

Thank You for forgiving me.

I pray one day You will soften David's heart, and he will let the Holy Spirit inside it to work. And then, he too will learn how to forgive and feel the freedom forgiving grants.

Thank you Jesus for the family and friends surrounding me and for keeping my calendar full when it needs to be and for the quiet, alone times as well so that I may recharge and have time to read, study, and recenter.

Jesus, I pray for my sons.

Please keep an eye on them.  Guard their paths and decisions.

May they always return to You, and may You protect them all the days of their lives.

I am so thankful for their presence in my life, their wisdom and maturity, and their great love.

In Jesus name, Amen."